A Little Boy's First Room - Part 2

It was a good few weeks ago that I posted part one of this little tale, A Little Boy's First Room .  I thought I should finish it.  And I wanted to prove that I have been doing things on the house, not just the garden.

So the hideous purple gloss ceiling took 4 coats of paint to conceal; ceiling painted white and walls pale blue.  The far wall was painted black - so we wallpapered over that with a Cath Kidston wallpaper of London landmarks, buses and taxis.

Print from www.rukaruka.co.uk

Louis loves cars (buses and taxis in particular) and he loves animals, so I had said we would go for one or the other as a theme.  In the end we sort of went for both, with my love of London thrown in for good measure.

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A Little Boy's First Room

So, how many coats do you think it will take to remove that bright purple gloss ceiling paint from sight?

Louis' room is the first to be tackled.  It's the smallest room in the house and so we hope to get it finished quickly.  The plan is to repaint in white and palest blue, with a feature wall at one end - probably wallpaper - that he will get to pick himself.

Louis loves cars - buses and taxis in particular and animals - dogs in particular.  So we are going with one of those as a theme.  I've still got an old desk and little wooden stool from my childhood that I think I will try and use.  And I've come across a couple of sets of old wooden shelves in the garage that I am going to repaint, one for him and one for Una.

However, first there is the purple peril to tackle.  Everything in this room, from radiator to window frame is painted vivid purple, except one black wall at you can just see in this picture.  It makes the room feel small and frankly sickly.  The old wooden floorboards, that you can't see in the picture, have been stained a darker colour than I would choose but are in pretty good condition for their age.  

An idea for the feature wall is to use fabric over insulation board on the wall, giving some additional insulation to the outside wall at the same time.  I've seen some lovely dog prints on Emily Bond's website.  The one that I love is below, the one that Louis really likes is only available in a linen fabric not wallpaper.

Emily Bond - Wied haired Jack Russel fabric                     emilybond.co.uk

I've found a video on Youtube that makes the upholstering look simple enough:

The room is the perfect size for a little boy's first bedroom and looks out over the garden.  And I'm looking forward to finishing it.  I've been planning and adding ideas to a pinterest board for weeks now, so, I'd better stop gabbing and get back to the painting.

Follow Mrs Fox's's board Louis' Bedroom on Pinterest.

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Snoopers Paradise.

Jumble and Pearls is getting closer so we thought we'd expose some of the traders!

We've not been before but the idea of this fayre makes me think of my all time favourite shop, Snoopers Paradise in Brighton, and to days before I had the responsibility of 3 little people, ergo; the ability to wander around shops in a carefree manner without constantly panicking every time a small child disappeared from my view.
The shop is huge and you can find hundreds (and thousands) of things you'd not find anywhere else.  Old and older toys, jewellery, furniture, clothes, bags, cutlery, crockery, paintings, embroideries, records, beautiful old ashtrays, you name it.  It is my favourite shop ever and eckers, I can't have been there for about 8 years… dreadful!  (Must remedy that this year.)

Jumble and Pearls may not be as large or dusty but it will certainly be just as eclectic and we can't wait to snoop around.

So what has got us so excited?  Have a look…

Eleni Edipidi & Levantes Dance Theatre - wonderful flowery jewellery and a selection of colourful and sparkly garments inspired by previous theatre productions.

Maiden Found Millinery & Crafts - affordable bespoke head wear pieces, and crafts perfect for gifts, all made using traditional methods and vintage materials.

Brake Bikes is a distinctive brand of unique single speed bikes.  Limited to 100 bikes in the three specific colour combinations, influencing fans of street art.

Isabella Salamone, Surface Textile designer, a vintage fabric collector and a maker.  She has recently started creating unique and very limited ranges of products by recycling original vintage fabric.  From stationery to fashion accessories and home decor objects, expect colourful bright pattern!

Hannah Knight will be selling her hand selected vintage pieces in fabrics sourced from Paris, Milan and and London as well as designer pieces including Burberry, Max Mars and Valentino.

Philip Ignatious Salacious Stein, London's premier underground art dealer will be selling some of his private collection.

These are just a few of the inspiring purveyors that will be there selling their wares.  Most will be bringing unique items which are limited, vintage or handmade and one off's.  

The Jumble & Pearls event is a chance to find something you just have to have and that you will really be hard pushed to find anything like, anywhere else. 

Upstairs there is free wifi, table tennis, a bar and an all day restaurant, this will be a perfect day out… if you're in or near London, why ever would you not make it a date?

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Auntie Mims' Spoon Heads - Great Idea for Father's Day

I love buying things from small independent makers and Auntie Mims personalised gifts are just gorgeous.  I bought the two spoons above for my friends when they moved into their little dream cottage in East Sussex.  They were so appropriate for the two of them and their new home.   But they would make a great Father's Day gift too wouldn't they?

Only £5 from www.auntiemims.com

But Auntie Mims genius is not limited to wooden spoons, oh no, she is great at finding retro fabrics and make beautiful things from them:

The deer are part of a collection of retro wooden animals that include a lion, rabbit and flying ducks, great for the nursery or the living room for that matter.  Her toy tubs are so useful and can be personalised.  There are always great offers on Auntie Mims' Facebook page , in fact I notice on FB there is 25% off these animals at them moment, so it is well worth popping over to like her and take a look at what is going on in the lovely world of Auntie Mims.

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